Illyrian Polish My Sun and Stars

Like A Dragon Is Not A Slave, My Sun and Stars was released by Texas-based indie polish maker Illyrian Polish as part of the Game of Thrones-inspired Winter Is Coming collection. This is a dazzling glitterbomb befitting its appellation. It has a clear suspension base swimming with infinitesimal sparkly, reflective bits: copper and pale violet holographic hex glitters, silver ultraholo glitters, bronze/red color-shifting ultrachrome flakies, and silver holographic microflakes. It can be worn as a topper in a single coat over a base color or layered over itself in multiple coats for the ultimate glitterbomb experience, which is how I chose to apply it. The glitters and flakies catch the slightest ambient light and present as a cloud of sparkle on the nail in almost every circumstance, and the effect in direct sun is utter pandemonium, with every reflective surface sending out pinpoint sparks of prismatic colors in an astonishingly brilliant display. I like it best in low light, where the beautiful mix of coppery and violet glitter colors are distinctly visible. 

Application was surprisingly trouble-free. The consistency of My Sun and Stars is fluid and dense with components, with the medium-to-thick viscosity required to suspend so many elements, and I added a bit of polish thinner to my bottle to avoid taxing my application skills. The polish goes on fairly smoothly and spreads nicely over the nail, with a bit of tumbling from the components as you might expect but no stickups or protrusions over the free edge. Coverage is provided completely by the components so multiple coats are necessary to achieve whatever degree of opacity you prefer. The reflectivity of the glitters and flakies does a good job of giving a generally opaque appearance in two coats on shorter nails. My nails are fairly long at the moment so I used three. Cleanup is largely a matter of chasing down random glitters and flakies. My Sun and Stars dries naturally in good time to a slightly sandy textured finish. I finished with one generous layer of topcoat, which was mostly consumed and left me with a skosh of gentle texture, so a truly glassy finish will required two. 

Photos show three coats of My Sun and Stars over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. 

Illyrian Polish My Sun and Stars

Illyrian Polish My Sun and Stars

Illyrian Polish My Sun and Stars

Illyrian Polish My Sun and Stars

Illyrian Polish My Sun and Stars

Illyrian Polish My Sun and Stars

Illyrian Polish My Sun and Stars

Illyrian Polish My Sun and Stars

Illyrian Polish My Sun and Stars

Illyrian Polish My Sun and Stars

Illyrian Polish My Sun and Stars

The fierce sparkle of this full-coverage glitter polish is delivered by a surprisingly delicate mix of colors. I especially love the blend of pale violet with copper over the unifying underlay of silver, speckled by random deeper flecks of red and purple. As with yesterday's A Dragon Is Not A Slave, the combination of elements in My Sun and Stars has a carefully composed, intuitive sense to it, imbued with a profoundly empathetic understanding of its inspiration. Beautifully done!

love,
Liz